Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | Murder | 20180220 | 20180227/28 (BBC7) 20210724 (BBC7) 20210731 (BBC7) 20210801 (BBC7) 20230202 (BBC7) 20230203 (BBC7) | Sara Pascoe sets out to explore our modern social world through theories of Evolutionary Psychology and more. How does our monkey past influence our modern lives? Murder fascinates and intrigues as much as it repels us. Happily the human animal is much more of a pacifist than lots of our other mammal relations, including meerkats (the adverts have lied to us). But even the most patient among us has probably been driven to murderous thoughts on occasion, especially when your sister steals your clothes. From sibling rivalry, to pair bonding this is an informative and hilarious look at one of the darker aspects of human behaviour. Written by and starring Sara Pascoe. Recorded on location at The RAF Museum, Colindale A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018. Sara takes on a subject that fascinates and intrigues as much as it repels us: murder. |
| 01 | 02 | Jealousy | 20180227 | 20180306/07 (BBC7) 20210731 (BBC7) 20230209 (BBC7) 20230210 (BBC7) | How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions? Sara Pascoe investigates an emotion that we don't often like to admit to - Jealousy. It's unattractive but in evolutionary terms, it's a survival tactic - it's good to be competitive for resources. But in the modern world, are we just hairless apes comparing ourselves on social media? And what can we do about it? Recorded on location at The Foundling Museum in London. Written by and starring Sara Pascoe. A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018. Sara explores an emotion we prefer not to admit to - jealousy. From 2018. |
| 01 | 03 | Territory | 20180306 | 20180313/14 (BBC7) 20210807 (BBC7) 20230216 (BBC7) 20230217 (BBC7) | How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions? Sara Pascoe investigates - Territory. It's a vital resource and we live on a crowded planet but why do have such a visceral reaction when someone intrudes on our personal space? From the bigger picture concepts of colonialism and national borders, to how you divide your shared bedroom, to the physical limits of our own bodies, this is a frank, funny look at how our evolutionary history shapes the way we see and move through the world. Recorded on location at The Freud Museum in London. Written by and starring Sara Pascoe A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018. Why do we have such a visceral reaction when someone intrudes on our personal space? |
| 01 | 04 | Charity | 20180313 | 20180320/21 (BBC7) 20210814 (BBC7) 20210821 (BBC7) 20210822 (BBC7) 20230223 (BBC7) 20230224 (BBC7) | How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions? In a lecture combined with stand up, Sara Pascoe investigates - Charity After some of the less pleasant aspects of humans in previous episodes, this show is all about the positive. There are lots of examples of altruistic behaviour and feats of generosity - the social traits of our species are at the root of why we're so successful. But it's complicated. Can we find compassion for each other when we're doing the wrong things for the right reasons? Recorded on location at The Foundling Museum in London. Written by and starring Sara Pascoe. A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018. Sara looks at examples of altruistic behaviour and feats of generosity. |